The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning the electrodes of a welder and more particularly to a method and apparatus for cleaning welding electrode wheels with a high pressure fluid spray.
In resistance welding operations, dressing tools are typically used to clean electrodes by a grinding or brushing process. If debris is permitted to build up on electrodes, weld quality is reduced. Dressing electrodes is done on a periodic basis to maintain welding quality.
Resistance welders having electrode wheels are used for welding seams by passing electrical current from one electrode wheel to another through adjacent flanges of a workpiece. Seam welding is frequently a critical operation, for instance, when forming an automotive gasoline tank it is important that the weld is continuous and strong.
Accumulation of dirt and debris on electrodes is aggravated when galvanized or other coated metal is welded. It has been found that zinc deposits in various metal coatings tend to accumulate on the surface of welding electrodes which interferes with the welding process. Therefore, the frequency of cleaning welding electrodes must be increased to maintain consistent weld quality.
Interrupting welding operations to dress electrodes by traditional methods causes excessive machine downtime, therefore, there is a need for a simple, reliable and effective method and apparatus for cleaning welding electrodes and in particular for cleaning welding electrode wheels used in critical seam weld operations.